Jerusalem: Researchers have developed a wireless, light-sensitive and flexible film that could potentially act as a substitute for damaged retina.
Investigators at Tel Aviv University, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Centres for Nanoscience and Nano-technology and New-castle University in the UK, tested the film with a chick retina that does not respond to light.
They found that the film absorbed light and, in response, sparked neuronal activity.
In comparison with other technologies, the researchers conclude theirs is more durable, flexible and efficient, as well as better able to stimulate neurons.
Patients with a type of eye disorder called age-related macular degeneration, for example, could potentially benefit from such a device, researchers said.
AMD affects people aged 60 or older who have damage to a specific part of the retina, limiting their vision.
Scientists are trying different approaches to develop an implant that can “see” light and send visual signals to a person's brain, countering the effects of AMD and related vision disorders.
Researchers used combined semiconductor nanorods and carbon nanotubes to create a wireless, light-sensitive, flexible film, a study in the American Chemical Society journal Nano Letters said.
